Quasi (sculpture)

Quasi is made from polystyrene, steel and resin and depicts van Hout's unsmiling face on the back of a disembodied, 5-metre hand standing on its index and ring fingers. van Hout made the so-called "partial self-portrait" for his hometown of Christchurch after the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, and it was eventually installed on the roof of the Christchurch Art Gallery on 9 June 2016 where it stayed for almost three years until 26 February 2019.{{cite web |title=Christchurch farewells Quasi |url=https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK1902/S00656/christchurch-farewells-quasi.htm |website=Scoop.co.nz |access-date=26 April 2021}} On 19 August 2019, it was moved to the roof of City Gallery Wellington where it remained until November 2024.{{cite web |last1=Pownall |first1=Agusta |title="Giant hybrid face-hand" installed on roof of art gallery in Wellington |url=https://www.dezeen.com/2019/08/20/quasi-ronnie-van-hout-hand-sculpture-news/ |website=DeZeen.com |access-date=26 April 2021}}{{cite web |last1=Wahlquist |first1=Calla |title='Terrifying' hand sculpture flies in to give Wellington nightmares |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/aug/19/terrifying-hand-sculpture-flies-in-to-give-wellington-nightmares |website=TheGuardian.com |access-date=26 April 2021}} Quasi was then relocated to a site in Australia.{{Cite web |last=Wong |first=Justin |date=30 October 2024 |title=Quasi sculpture moves on from City Gallery |url=https://www.thepost.co.nz/nz-news/360468839/quasi-sculpture-moves-city-gallery |access-date=2024-10-30 |website=www.thepost.co.nz}} The name Quasi is a play on the prefix quasi-, meaning 'almost', or 'not really', and also references Quasimodo, protagonist of the novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame, who was deformed and misshapen.{{Cite web |title=Quasi |url=https://www.sculpture.org.nz/the-sculptures/quasi |access-date=2024-12-09 |website=Wellington Sculpture Trust}}{{Cite web |title=Ronnie van Hout: Quasi |url=https://citygallery.org.nz/exhibitions/quasi/ |access-date=2024-12-09 |website=City Gallery |language=en}}

File:Quasi (sculpture) (cropped).jpg

The sculpture has drawn mixed reactions from the public, with many on social media describing Quasi as "hideous" and "monstrous" and others saying they had "warmed to it".{{cite web |last1=Estiler |first1=Keith |title=Artist’s Giant Hand Sculpture Causes Nightmares in New Zealand |url=https://hypebeast.com/2019/8/ronnie-van-hout-quasi-hand-sculpture-city-gallery-wellington-new-zealand |website=Hypebeast.com |access-date=26 April 2021}}{{Cite web |last=McLay |first=Charlotte Graham |date=31 October 2024 |title=Wellington waves goodbye to its giant hand sculpture that many came to love |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360470026/wellington-waves-goodbye-its-giant-hand-sculpture-many-came-love |access-date=2024-10-30 |website=Stuff}} On 25 October 2016, New Zealand art critic Warren Feeny penned a list entitled "Ten reasons why Christchurch Art Gallery's Quasi must go", listing the reasons why he felt Quasi should be removed from its then perch on top of the Christchurch Art Gallery, including "Quasi is a one-line joke", where he explained that the sculpture was a bit of "fun and mischief" but not much else, and "Quasi is in the wrong place", where he expresses his opinion that, had Quasi been at ground level at a more human scale, it would've "made Quasi a more informal and personal experience".{{cite web |last1=Feeny |first1=Warren |title=Ten reasons why Christchurch Art Gallery's Quasi must go |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/arts/85635912/ten-reasons-why-the-art-gallerys-quasi-must-go |website=Stuff.co.nz |access-date=26 April 2021}}

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[https://christchurchartgallery.org.nz/exhibitions/ronnie-van-hout-quasi Quasi] – Christchurch Art Gallery

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Category:Culture in Wellington

Category:Outdoor sculptures in Wellington City